5/4/2022 – 5/11/2022
Once the library closed on the 4th I went downtown to go do the riverwalk. Right as I was finishing the loop I stopped at a German biergarten that was on the river for a beverage. After trying a couple of local beers and chatting up the bartender I found out that Alamo Beer Company was just down the road. I resisted on getting a 30oz stein and headed to the brewery. Google maps failed me this time and I had to walk an extra quarter mile to get to the place. The beers were good, staff was nice, and they had a huge outdoor area. I hung out there until they closed and went back to the van for the night.
I got up early on the 5th so I could go to the USAF Airmen Heritage Training Complex, a USAF museum. I found out it was in Lakland Air Force base. I had to get a visitors pass and go through their screening process before they’d let me in. At least I didn’t have to ask for a pass a month in advance like in Shreveport. The museum part wasn’t that exciting. The parade area was where it’s at. This is where they had most of the planes set up on display. I’ll dump all of the pics at the end of the post. The bartender yesterday turned me on to Altstadt Brewery that was over in hill country. I made my way over there before going back up North. I was surprised at how many wineries there were. There had to be 20 in the area. Altstadt was in Fredericksburg, TX.
Altstadt was in a beautiful old German style building. The tasting room had a bunch of ornate woodwork and they had a huge restaurant area for events. Out back they had a beautiful patio and garden area. The place was pretty dead as there was a storm coming. I planned to stay here to wait out the rain and then go to a winery. I got a beer and sat out on the back patio to watch the storm. Once the rain passed I went back in to get another and I started talking to one of the managers. He told me that his favorite spot was the “cellar.” This is what they called their basement lounge area. It was amazing down there with more woodwork and a speakeasy kind of vibe. Normally this is closed to the public, but he let me check it out.
When I got back upstairs I went back outside and there was a younger couple hanging out. I started talking to them and found out they were just married. We hung out and talked until we finished our drinks. I was going to get another one with them when they said they were going to go to Luckenbach, TX to see a band. I asked if I could tag along and they agreed. I followed them out there and we found out that there was a motorcycle run going on that weekend.
We watched the band and had a few more drinks until the party was over. They took off and I stayed in the van in the parking lot. On my way there I found another old converted Paul Bunyan statue.
On the 6th I went back up to Austin, TX and hung out for the day. On the 7th I didn’t do much until the evening and I went to Austin Beerworks and Adelbert’s Brewery.
Now I’m just killing time until Billy gets into Dallas. On the 9th I had a couple beers at Nomadic Beerworks and Vacancy Brewing. At Nomadic I found out there is a brewery tour card like I found in Tampa. It was $30 for a free beer at 30 breweries.
I stayed in the Nomadic parking lot that night. As I was watching TV there was a line of cars that were going through this industrial area like a drive thru. It was really strange, my guess is drug dealer. On the 10th started making my way up to Dallas. I stopped by the two Red Horn Breweries on my way North as they were out of the way on the brewery tour card.
This upcoming week is going to be wild as I get to hang out with my boys again.
Here are all of the photos from the air museum.
